NEWS - EUROPE
EG Group secures NRGValue network in the Netherlands
EG Group has entered into a definitive
agreement with NRGValue Holding Nederland
B.V. for the acquisition of all shares in
NRGValue Retail B.V. which encompasses
their 97 site Esso branded network in the
Netherlands. Through the addition of these
Esso branded sites, EG Group will further
expand its retail network in the Netherlands
and reinforce its position as a market leader
reaching 595 stations. These company
owned sites have achieved consistently
strong volumes per site and will further
benefit from the deployment of a complementary
high quality non-fuel branded retail
offer. Mohsin Issa, EG Group Founder and
co-CEO said: “This is a great opportunity
for EG to reinforce its existing position as a
leading independent forecourt operator in
the Netherlands. I believe that our expertise
in investing in an effective branded non-fuel
retail offer provides room for significant
growth across the NRGValue portfolio.” The
purchase is subject to the approval from the
Dutch competition authority (ACM).
Door to door diesel
deliveries across London
A start-up that delivers diesel door-to-door
across the UK capital is ramping up its mission
to wipe out London’s filling stations – by
offering petrol, biofuel and electric charge
as well. “Digital petrol station” Zebra Fuels
– which has been selling diesel since 2016
– will also add hydrogen to its inventory. It
comes thanks to a £1.8million cash injection
through “seed funding”, where business investors
stump up the money to get a start-up
off the ground in exchange for a slice of the
profits. The firm’s somewhat ambitious aim
is to become the Amazon of fuels, cutting
out petrol stations – and the miles that can
be driven to reach them. Users can order
through a smartphone app and don’t even
have to be there when the delivery arrives
(so long as they leave the cap open). “We’re
like a Formula 1 pit stop for your car, van,
truck or coach,” said chief exec Reda Bennis.
“We can also do fuel deliveries through
the night, so customers can wake up to a full
car outside their house. “Ultimately, our goal
is to replace the petrol station and in doing
so make filling up your car faster, cheaper,
less harmful to the environment, and hassle
free.” Zebra Fuels only serves London at
present, but is eyeing European expansion.
no capping on license numbers in Malta, committee told
Malta’s Environment and Development Planning
Committee have been told that there is
no capping on the number of fuel station licences
that can be issued. The policy has
come under scrutiny following several controversial
applications that have hit the news
headlines and was brought to the committee’s
attention after a request was made
by PD MPs Godfrey and Marlene Farrugia.
CEO of the Regulator of Water and Energy
Marjohn Abel confirmed that the current policy
had no caps and that the policy is in line
with EU directives, and “like other services,
you cannot have a quota.” Also present for
the committee meeting was the Environment
and Resources Authority director Michelle
Piccinino, who expressed authority’s stand
on changing the policy. “Our position is
clear,” she said. “We object to development
on ODZ land. We accept that they are in areas
which are already impacted by certain
development, but not in places which are
agricultural. We have held this view constantly
and have always objected.” Eight
applications to relocate from core areas to
Outside Development Zones are currently
pending. The rethinking of the policy is expected
to take around two months.
germany takes another step towards nationwide h2 supply
H2 Mobility Deutschland, Shell and Air Liquide
today jointly opened the first hydrogen
(H2) station in the district of Esslingen – the
twelfth in Baden-Württemberg, taking another
step towards a nationwide H2 supply network
in Germany. Owned and operated by
the joint venture H2 Mobility, which is building
a H2 infrastructure in Germany, the location
is at the Shell petrol station Heinrich-Otto
Straße. H2 Mobility intends to build up to
400 filling stations in Germany. The basis for
the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure
in Germany has been laid by the Clean Energy
Partnership (CEP) demonstration project,
which sets common standards Speaking
at the opening, Thomas Bystry, Shell
Project Leader and Chairman of the Clean
Energy Partnership, said, “H2 technology is
a promising technology, and H2 is a fuel of
the future. We assume that this alternative
drive from the twenties in markets such as
Germany, England, Benelux and the United
States plays an increasingly important role.
We at Shell are on track. “Markus Schewitza,
Managing Director Air Liquide Advanced
Technologies GmbH, who will be supplying
the hydrogen to the site, added, “We now
have to face the challenges of the energy
transition. Today, H2 is one of our best solutions
for achieving the goals of the Paris Climate
Change Agreement. In particular, H2
has the potential to efficiently decarbonise
the transport sector, one of the main sources
of pollution in our cities.”
royal dutch Shell to keep its Danish refining operations
Royal Dutch Shell will no longer sell its refining
business in Denmark for 80 million
US dollars, to Dansk Olieselskab. The deal
which was announced in September 2016
and had been expected to complete last
year. However, the oil giant announced in
January that Dansk Shell will remain under
Shell’s ownership and “continue business
as usual”. The firm said in a statement that
the agreement it signed with Dansk Olieselskab
in September 2016 regarding the sale
of Dansk Shell, which consists of the Fredericia
refinery and local trading and supply
activities, has terminated and the sale will
not complete. The sale was part of a 30
billion US dollars divestment programme
being carried out by Shell, which the firm
insisted is still on track.
UK retailer MFG adds Esso
sites to growing network
Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the UK’s second
largest independent forecourt operator, is
adding the Esso brand onto their network
n a programme running from the beginning
of February until the middle of May 2018, 80
stations throughout the network will be rebranded
to Esso in their latest 2Di image. 71
of these stations were previously operated
under the BP brand.
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